Rapper City P Talks Childhood, "1-Time," & More

The West Coast is absolutely on fire right now, from records with bounce to lyrical onslaught. City P arrives in the middle, giving a unique introspective addition to hip-hop. “I had to overcome a lot just to survive,” he states. City P, otherwise known as Supastar City, made major waves a year back with his “All About You” single. Fast forward today, after millions of streams, City brings forth his latest hit, “1-Time.” The visual has already amassed over a hundred thousand views, making it his quickest resing release thus far. You can’t deny that he doesn’t have the star power to become the West Coast’s next big thing.

We recently chatted with City P about his childhood, “1-Time” success story, and legacy amongst a list of other things.

Walk me through your childhood, how would you describe growing up?

It was tough! A lotta people think SF is a rich and privileged place but you really have to be on-point to make sure you’re not a victim. I had to overcome a lot just to survive, let alone follow my dream.

What eventually led to you gravitating towards music?

I’ve been on it since I can remember, I wrote my first song when I was 7 years old. I was hanging around as a lil “go-for” around the studio in my neighborhood soaking up the game by the time I was 12. Life kinda tossed me around a bit in my teenage years but once I got on my feet as an adult, I came right back to the music and got it lit.

How would you describe your sound and what inspires you creatively in the booth?

I’d say my sound is for gangstas, college students and good people that like to have fun. Those kinds of people inspire me to create and contribute.

Talk to me about “1-Time,” what does that record mean to you?

I have 5 sisters altogether and a whole bunch of aunt’s and girl cousins and I just wanted to make something that they could celebrate and encourage each other. The “Fuck It Up, Sis!” chant was created by my younger sister, Gizz Macc over 5 years ago. I wanted to build a party vibe around it for the girls in the hood to relate to. It means a lot to me. So the success of the video on Youtube and other platforms is hella rewarding.

How did the collaboration with Lil Kayla come about for that record?

Lil Kayla is my favorite rapper in SF right now and, thankfully, she agreed to jump on the song. She gave me a hot verse to complete the record.

What was the creative direction behind the video?

I had so many ideas for this video but we settled on keeping a loose photoshoot theme to visually connect my verse with Kayla’s. There’s some home-footage style shots with the women in the family that are tied in but we didn’t want to cram the video with hella scenes. We wanted to focus more on getting quality shots and having smooth cuts in post-production. In the director’s cut, you get to see more of the storyline involving my sister’s and family. I’m looking forward to dropping that soon.

How would compare “1-Time” to what you have in store for this year?

I’d say that “1-Time” is on-brand with what I have coming up next. Hot hooks and melodies all summer. I’ll be releasing three projects in 2020 and they’ll be along the same wave.

As far as legacy goes, what are some of your short-term and long-term goals right now?

Short-term, I’m looking to finish strong with my upcoming projects and just continue to evolve as a writer. Long-term, I’d like to be recognized as a top-tier songwriter throughout the industry.